Julian
I don’t lose control. Not with souls. Not with bargains. Not with emotions I buried centuries ago.
Ophelia Arden was supposed to be a transaction. Her father made the deal. I took what was owed—her gift, her fire, the part that made her feel.
It should’ve ended there.
But the bond between us refuses to let go. And the closer I get, the more I wonder if I ever had a choice at all.
She doesn’t know what I am. Or what she is to me.
And if I were a better man, I’d stay away.
But I’ve never been good.
Ophelia
I used to feel everything.
Now my emotions are locked somewhere I can’t reach, and my art is nothing but echoes. They say I’m fading. But I know better. Something was taken from me.
Julian Duvain watches me like he already owns every piece of what’s left.
He’s wrong in all the ways I should run from—but I don’t. Because when he looks at me, something sharp stirs in my chest. He sees what no one else does. And whatever he’s hiding… it feels tied to everything I’ve lost.
I should be afraid.
But I’m already burning.
